We hear it all the time, even more so in October. ‘Don’t forget to get to schedule your yearly mammography.” And yet, some women still push it to the back burner. They don’t think they have the time for it, or even worse, they don’t think cancer could ever happen to them. I’m here to tell you, you’re wrong.

My Mother is living proof of why it’s so important to schedule and go in for your yearly mammography. She’s always been very strict about going, and they would always come out clear. It was a little over two years ago now, when she went for her routine mammo, and they found an abnormality. It turns out she did have breast cancer. I remember learning the news with her…I was completely shocked since I really thought nothing could ever happen to my Mother.

Luckily, because my Mom was serious about her screenings, they were able to detect the cancer before it turned into anything too serious. She endured one operation, and a month of radiation treatments, and then was able to ring the bell, symbolizing that she was a breast cancer survivor. I am so proud of her. My Mom is truly the strongest person I know. Even with cancer, she still put her family before herself and never ever missed a beat. Not once did she have a negative attitude, or feel sorry for herself. I am so thankful that she is here to tell her story.

If you take anything from my Mother’s journey, PLEASE let it inspire you to go for screenings. Men, it’s important for you to get screened for other cancers as well. It could save your life.

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]]>http://1057thehawk.com/heres-why-its-important-to-get-checked-for-breast-cancer/feed/0Lady Di & MomOcean County's Best Tattoo Shop – THE FINALShttp://1057thehawk.com/ocean-countys-best-tattoo-shop-the-finals/
http://1057thehawk.com/ocean-countys-best-tattoo-shop-the-finals/#commentsMon, 16 Oct 2017 13:05:52 +0000http://1057thehawk.com/?p=422638We started with twelve fantastic local tattoo shops (plus a few write-ins), and over 7,000 later we had narrowed it down to our Slick Six! The votes kept pouring in, and now we are down to our Final Three!

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]]>http://1057thehawk.com/ocean-countys-best-tattoo-shop-the-finals/feed/0Getty ImagesHow To Help Raise Funds Before The Billboard Radiothonhttp://1057thehawk.com/how-to-help-raise-funds-before-the-billboard-radiothon/
http://1057thehawk.com/how-to-help-raise-funds-before-the-billboard-radiothon/#commentsMon, 16 Oct 2017 12:02:41 +0000http://1057thehawk.com/?p=422658With a week to go before the Ocean of Love Billboard Radiothon, now is the perfect time to start raising money to donate.

While most people will stop by the Billboard in the Target/Lowes/PetCo parking lot on Hooper Avenue in Toms River and take a few bucks out of their wallet, there are ways you can raise some funds in advance.

– Work

Walk around the office asking your coworkers for a couple bucks, or even leave a jar or box or envelope in the lunchroom at work with a small note explaining what you’re raising money for.

– School

Have your kid (or grandkid) go to school and tell their teachers about Ocean of Love. Every year we talk about “kids helping kids”, and it’s always an incredible example of generosity to see kids come together for this. We have schools that hold Penny Wars, schools that let the class who donates the most choose the Principal’s Halloween costume, and other schools that send home notes to parents and just bring in big donations.

Not only will they be doing cuts and facials, but also featuring a nail-painting special. Essie, a corporate sponsor of Trim Hunger, will be offering an orange nail polish called “Roarrrange”, and you can get your nail painted for a $1 donation.

Congratulations to Dylan Emmett, Our Warrior of the Week for the week of October 16, 2017.

A Marine & Lanoka Harbor resident, Dylan Emmett began his military career while still in high school, participating in a pre-boot camp program during his senior year. Upon graduating, Emmett left for actual boot camp in 2015 and subsequently became a machine gun team leader.

Emmett was eventually deployed in 2017 where he served in the Middle East and became a black belt in Marine Martial Arts while serving.

Emmett is due back in the States within the next week and will return as our proud warrior.

Congratulations to Dylan Emmett, our Warrior of the Week.

Do you know a deserving past or present military member? Nominate them now. Every Military Monday, we’ll share one of the nominations and honor that person as our Warrior of the Week.

[button href=”http://wobm.com/nominate-a-military-hero-to-be-our-warrior-of-the-week/” title=”Nominate A Warrior of the Week” align=”center”]

I like food and often joke I partake in the see-food diet, (I see food and then I eat it, haha), but I also spend some time at the gym working off all the goodies or adding to all the protein consumed at dinner time to fit into my 6’5, 205-pound frame.

However, I do enjoy bake, cook, grill or what-have-you because it’s fun and over the years has become a true passion of mine and certainly one I’ve enjoyed sharing the results with people.

I’m going to try and take you into the kitchen and give you a look-see at some of the good stuff I’m whipping up at home.

Let me know some of your favorite things to make in the comments section.

Not only has hometown girl Laurie Hernandez brought home Gold and Silver medals from the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, but she’s won “Dancing With The Stars” Season 23, and topped the New York Times Best Sellers List with her autobiography “I Got This: To Gold and Beyond.”

iPlay America

Laurie will talk about all of this and more Sunday, October 15 at her very special Q&A at iPlay America. This is the perfect event for young gymnasts and athletes in your family. The best part is, it’s free!

Click the link below and enter promo code “radio2″ to download up to 4 General Admission tickets to “An Afternoon With Laurie Hernandez” courtesy of 94.3 The Point! Doors are at 11, the show starts at noon.

The End is upon us. Black Sabbath wrapped up their touring career earlier this year in their hometown of Birmingham, then put together a concert film that screened in theaters last month, and now we’re coming to the end of the cycle with a Nov. 17 DVD street date now set for The End film.

Credited by many for starting the birth of heavy metal, Black Sabbath put together an impressive string of albums in the ’70s before Ozzy Osbourne moved on from the group. Sabbath continued to record with varying results in the years post Osbourne and while there were onstage reunions, the singer didn’t return on a studio album with the band until 2013’s 13 disc.

With the members of Sabbath getting on in age, the group decided to stage a massive worldwide farewell tour that culminated on Feb. 4 this year in Birmingham at Genting Arena with an impressive show highlighting some of their biggest hits and fan favorites. Songs like “Fairies Wear Boots,” “Snowblind,” “War Pigs,” “Iron Man,” “Children of the Grave” and “Paranoid” filled the set list, and you can see the full track listing for the DVD and Blu-Ray below.

In addition to the show, fans purchasing the collection will get “The Angelic Sessions,” made up of five bonus tracks recorded days after the final show that include “The Wizard,” “Wicked World,” “Sweet Leaf,” “Tomorrow’s Dream” and “Changes.”

A limited deluxe collector’s edition set will feature The End on DVD and Blu-Ray, as well as double CD, the Angelic Sessions on CD (all housed in gatefold card sleeves), a 32-page bound book on heavyweight stock, a metal Winged Demon pin bad, a replica of The End tour laminate and three plectrums (all housed in a DVD-height two-piece rigid mirror board box).

“Because it was Birmingham, it was a special night for us,” said guitarist Tony Iommi of the show. “It was great to look out and know that all these people have come to see us. What a great feeling. There’s nothing like it”. Bassist Geezer Butler added, “It will never be ‘The End’ for me. I’ll always be a part of Sabbath, and Sabbath will always be a part of me.”

To pre-order, Black Sabbath’s The End, head here. And check out the DVD/Blu-Ray/CD/Vinyl track listing and artwork below.

With a little more than a month left to go before Bob Seger‘s new I Knew You When LP is scheduled to arrive in stores, the veteran rocker has revealed some of the details surrounding the set — including a complete track listing for the regular and deluxe editions.

Slated for a Nov. 17 release and available to pre-order now, I Knew You When marks Seger’s 18th studio release — and arrives on the 49th year of his long-standing association with Capitol Records, making him the longest-tenured solo artist in the label’s history. According to the press release announcing the milestone, Seger’s discography now includes 13 platinum and seven multi-platinum sales awards, as well as a diamond certification for selling 10 million copies of his Greatest Hits LP. I Knew You When follows the 2014 release of Seger’s most recent collection of new material, the No. 3 hit Ride Out.

As previously reported, I Knew You When collects a blend of covers and originals, as well as material that was earlier part of the trove of recordings Seger assembled for Ride Out. The sessions clearly found him in a reflective state of mind with respect to the spate of classic rockers we’ve lost over the last several years; the record’s first single, “Busload of Faith,” is a Lou Reed cover, and a tribute to Seger’s longtime friend Glenn Frey closes out the deluxe edition of the LP — which is dedicated to the Eagles co-founder’s memory. Listen to “Busload of Faith” above, and look over the complete track listing below.

It’s hard to argue there’s ever been a better time to be a Metallica fan. The band has been churning out incredible deluxe reissues of their classic albums and they’re continuing the trend with eyes locked on …And Justice For All and their self-titled album, best known as ‘The Black Album,’ next.

To ensure these reissues are as involved as can be, Metallica are once again enlisting the help of fans to assemble parts of the reissue packages for the first two albums that featured Jason Newsted, who replaced Cliff Burton after the bassist died in a tragic bus accident.

The band states, “As you may remember, we asked you for help in putting together the first three box sets and, to make sure there’s a fan footprint on all of these releases, we’ll be doing that again! We’re looking for anything and everything you might have from August 1987 through July 1993… photos (taken by you!), flyers, ticket stubs, backstage passes and whatever other mementos you may have from that time. Also, if you happened to interview James, Lars, Kirk or Jason during that time and still have the recording, please let us know!”

Promising “nothing is too small or too trivial,” all fan submissions can be made through email (submissions@metclub.com).

In a recent interview with Decibel, ‘The Black Album’ producer Bob Rock spoke about the revolutionary effect the record had. “It’s a huge part of my life. I spent 15 years with those guys. I couldn’t have worked with a better band. It was difficult, but when you’re in a place that’s not comfortable, you do your best work. Clearly it’s some of my best work. It was all of us that made that record. No compromise. Culturally, in the music business, that’s when Metallica got on the radio. It was the biggest cultural record I made. It changed what went on the radio. I’m very proud of that. I look back on it fondly,” he said.

Fishing tournaments centered around striped bass and bluefish are springing up like May dandelions, some offering 100% paybacks, some donating part of the entry fees to a specific cause or charity, and some more giving it all to the former.

Lengths of the competition range from a weekend (the October 13-15 Hi-Mar Striper Club’s 3rd Annual Bob Kamienski 40-hour Striped Bass Tournament, for example) to the Surf City Bait & Tackle Striper Tournament that continues to 11:59 p.m. New Year’s Eve.

No doubt the longest running and most popular suds shootout that draws hundreds upon hundreds of entries every fall is the Long Beach Island (LBI) Surf Fishing Classic that extends through December 10th.

With eight weeks remaining, this cash and prize-laden tournament is celebrating an amazing 63rd year, and offers myriad daily, weekly, segment and grand prize awards for stripers and blues, and even grants a special $100 cash prize for the first red drum brought in to one of the four weigh-in/registrations stations. The grand prize for the heaviest bass is a wide-smile $2000, with a wallet-pleasing $1000 prize for the heaviest blue. In the interim are dozens upon dozens, upon dozens of more prizes ranging from $500 cash, to premium reels and rods, lines, plugs and bucktails to $50 WaWa cards, and just about everything in between. There are special youth division prizes as well. It’s strictly a land-based tournament and is restricted to the 18-miles of sand stretching from Barnegat Light south to Holgate.

The entry fee is $30 for adults and $15 for youngsters 15 years of age and under.

Speaking of stripers…while waiting for the oceanfront run to get underway, do not overlook the hot skinny water striper fishing occurring in the back bays, tidal rivers, and ICW. From the Manasquan River to the Mullica River, it’s been ranging from fire to inferno with bass that are blasting poppers, swimming plugs, bucktails, and jig head/Gulp! combinations. They are also assaulting eel and spot baits in criminal fashion.

The downside, if there is one, is that about 90% of the stripers will be sub-legal, as in 16 to 24 inches, significantly less than the 28-inch minimum. But…if you have a striped bass bonus tag (visit www.njfishandwildlife.com, click on the saltwater fishing link and then the application form…the cost is $2), you will be able to keep one bass from 24-inches to just under 28-inches. An upside? There are still decent size pods of bluefish present in the back gorging on mullet and peanut bunker, and these will range from 2 pounds to 20 pounds. Throw in husky keeper weakfish to 18-plus inches and, yeah, let’s get in the back.

No boat? No worries, as some good fishing occurs along the sedge banks and other access points such as docks and bay beaches. Still, a float will get you to more fish as more water can be covered. Three top charter outfits are Hi Flier Sportfishing (Capt. Dave DeGennaro; 732-330-5674), Miss Liane Sportfishing (Capt. Cool Ray Lopez; 908-319-6751), and Absecon Bay Sportsman (Capt. Dave Showell; 609-484-0409).

“Blueclaw Boss” Moe Bilicki with two bushels

Getting Really Crabby

Sure, crabbing is a fun time, summertime thing…ideal for families and an enjoyable way to put a dinner or two together.

However, from now through the first, maybe second week in November (barring a frigid mud-digging early autumn blast), it’s CRABBING TIME as in crustaceans point-to-point the size of dinner plates and claws with the muscle (read: meat) power to snap an index finger.

And in bushel-busting numbers.“I always wait until the first, maybe

“I always wait until the first, maybe second week in October to really get on the crabs,” says Shrewsbury River/Barnegat Bay “Blueclaw Boss” Moe Bilicki, exclaiming “They are at their biggest sizes of the season and are eating like crazy getting ready to go in the mud for the winter. Sure, it’ll be really chilly out and the water is getting colder, but they eat right until it (the water) reaches about 54 degrees. Big crabs, lotsa meat and hardly anybody is out there with traps or hand lines. Can’t beat the action!”

Fall crabbing is chicken chomp time. Sure, bunker or a small bluefish or a bluefish fillet will catch crabs, but not like chicken backs, necks, legs or thighs will. For whatever reason, biddy meat is preferred, and will pretty much out-catch other baits exponentially.

Just load up on the Old Bay, big time…

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]]>http://1057thehawk.com/nj-fishing-crabbing/feed/0Photo by Tom PJoint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Doing Artillery Tests This Weekendhttp://1057thehawk.com/joint-base-mcguire-dix-lakehurst-doing-artillery-tests-this-weekend/
http://1057thehawk.com/joint-base-mcguire-dix-lakehurst-doing-artillery-tests-this-weekend/#commentsFri, 13 Oct 2017 12:31:16 +0000http://1057thehawk.com/?p=422501Just a heads up! The Joint Base took to Facebook to alert locals that Army units would be conducting tests this weekend, so if you hear some booms and rumbles and feel some shaking, don’t fret.

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]]>http://1057thehawk.com/joint-base-mcguire-dix-lakehurst-doing-artillery-tests-this-weekend/feed/0John Moore/Getty ImagesSupport Diabetes Research This Sunday At Pumpkin Expresshttp://1057thehawk.com/support-diabetes-research-this-sunday-at-pumpkin-express/
http://1057thehawk.com/support-diabetes-research-this-sunday-at-pumpkin-express/#commentsFri, 13 Oct 2017 11:32:39 +0000http://1057thehawk.com/?p=422481This Sunday at the Laurelton Firehouse on Route 88 in Brick, you can help support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation!

A friend of mine is a member of the family who has organized the Pumpkin Express event, so I stopped by to help paint some pumpkins.

Stop by between 9a and 1p, and you can choose from 1,000 hand-painted pumpkins (including the Death Star that I painted! (and others that are way better than mine)), as well as refreshments, baked goods, games and prizes, raffles, and more, all part of the Leta Kids Pumpkin Express.

If you do end up buying my Death Star, let me know! I’ll be sad if my pumpkin doesn’t get chosen.

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Tony Boloney’s has two restaurant locations, one in Hoboken and one in Atlantic City. The newest menu item? “Unicorn blood” mozzarella sticks! The special appetizers are made with dehydrated fruits and vegetables like beets, carrots, strawberries, spinach and blueberries.

The video says that they taste like normal mozz sticks, but I feel like infusing the milk with spinach or blueberries or whatever has to leave some sort of residual taste, no? I’m not sure I would enjoy “strawberry mozzarella”…but I have to admit that if I did make it to this place, I’d give them a try and obviously I would immediately post pix online.

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LITTLE EGG HARBOR — The Pinelands Regional High School and Junior High School are closed today for a new problem — apparently separate from known issues in an ongoing air quality controversy there.

Roof work at Pinelands Regional High School (CBS New York)

An email from acting superintendent Cheryl Stevenson send on Thursday night said the closure is because of “a new issue involving the construction at the high school. Please plan on this to be an extended closure of the high school building until all issues with the project can be addressed.”

Stevenson did not elaborate on the issue, but said it wasn’t connected to the air quality issues already being explored at the school. She said a parent meeting is scheduled for Friday at 5 p.m. in the junior high school cafeteria.

Transportation would be provided for part-time morning and afternoon vocational students, and there is no change to the full-time vocational student schedules. Athletic events and practices with continue at the junior high school, according to the email.

Pinelands schools were closed last week to test the air quality in the schools. A roof project was blamed for causing tiles to fall from the ceiling and contaminating the schools’ air. Classes resumed on Tuesday after the tests concluded that the high school was safe for occupancy.

Concerned parents packed a school board meeting on Wednesday night to express their concerns about the air quality, according to CBS New York. Many told the board their children were ill or suffered from constant headaches or burning in their chests.

]]>http://1057thehawk.com/pinelands-regional-high-school-closes-again/feed/0Roof work at Pinelands Regional High School (CBS New York)Two former Shore Conference athletes explain what it's like to play high school sportshttp://1057thehawk.com/two-former-shore-conference-athletes-explain-what-its-like-to-play-high-school-sports/
http://1057thehawk.com/two-former-shore-conference-athletes-explain-what-its-like-to-play-high-school-sports/#commentsFri, 13 Oct 2017 07:00:58 +0000http://wobm.com/?p=504445In the first part of our five-part Friday series on what affects high school athletes, two former athletes, Kari Lefebvre and Nico Steriti, explain why they participated.

Playing high school sports and with a group of classmates is something unique only to that level of education.

Why that’s so has no true answer, it’s just something in the air that those who’ve played or coached it can give the most accurate answer.

Maybe it’s the cool weather on a Friday night in the fall where your crosstown rival comes in for a football game, a swimming meet where your aching and in pain but you fight beyond your strengths to the finish, a basketball game where everything rides on the shot at the buzzer, a track meet where your among the elite or something else.

To some it’s playing with your friends or against the kids you grew up with but maybe it’s something a little more.

Kari Lefebvreand Nico Steriti have two different stories but both experienced great success and honor at the high school level while playing at Toms River High School East from the fall of 2006 through graduation day 2010.

Lefebvre was a swimmer at East who was the team captain during the 2009-2010 season but even before that she collected some other honors and hardware including the Most Improved Swimmer Award in 2007-2008.

He was also part of a team in the 2009 season that went 10-1, with the loss coming in an NJSIAA State Sectional Semi-Final against Egg Harbor Township.

(Article continues below video)

(2009 interview by the Shore Sports Network following East game vs TR South)

Kari says one of the things she misses most about participating in high school sports is being in the pool with her teammates.

“I was pretty quiet in high school and it really brought me out of my shell,” Lefebvre said. “Just the team aspect of it…the comradery and everything.”

Steriti, says for him part of the reason he wanted to play was to continue the family tradition.

“Having two older brothers who were exceptional in the sport and as athletes, it created competitive walls in the home, but at the end of the day, we were always taught to just play as hard as we could and leave it all out there,” Steriti said. “After the game, I’d give my mom a hug and a kiss and my father…and that was really the most special part of all of it.”

Nico also had the opportunity to play with his younger brother Mario, another star running back and defensive back.

“It was amazing to be able to play with my younger brother first and foremost,” Steriti said. “Then to excel on the field with him and for him to put his body on the line and block for his older brother…it’s a cool thing.”

No matter what sport it is, playing in front of the fans can play apart in the outcome of a game as well.

For Steriti, he says it’s a great feeling for a player to hear the roaring support of the student section.

“You have the students in the stands rooting for the player but the common goal is the same, they’re all just trying to have a good time,” Steriti said. “They’re all just trying to win and be happy and experience the moment.”

Lefebvre, says she heard the fans…but once she was in the water competing…it was just her.

“I would hear people yelling, ‘go-go-go’, but once I’m in the water on a straight-away before a turn, it’s kind of just me in my own head,” Lefebvre said.

Fans are great and can inject some fuel into an athletes adrenaline rush but so does a good rivalry match, meet or game.

Lefebvre describes that rush of adrenaline she felt on the day of a rivalry meet in the pool.

“It’s just the energy in that pool, especially if you felt it was going to be a close meet,” Lefebvre said. “The energy was just there. You could feel it in the air. Those are the meets I think were the most fun.”

Kari says she’d also be decked out in school gear throughout the day ahead of those meets.

There’s no atmosphere quite as electric as Friday night under the lights watching a couple of high school football rivals battle between the hash-marks.

Steriti, says rivalry games are the ones you remember the most.

“You have ex-players and coaches who were in games and situations in other times that there’s still an emotional connection from it,” Steriti said.

Nico says in some cases you’re playing against kids you grew up with who now attend other schools.

*** In Part-Two of our series next Friday, we find out what’s legal and not legal about athletes who transfer.

Born in the back room of his family’s business, Mike Belkin and his brother Jules started to put together the first pieces of their future concert promotions empire in the mid ’60s.

Their first booking was a 1966 double bill featuring the Four Freshmen and the New Christy Minstrels — an outing that performed well, in the sense that it actually happened. But according to Jules, who was interviewed by the industry publication Pollstar, it wasn’t actually profitable, losing about $35. But the experience they went through to make the show happen was enough to fuel their desire to continue pushing forward with their new developing business.

It was a solid move — by the early ‘70s, Belkin Productions was presenting a wide array of now legendary talent in the Cleveland area, and eventually nationally, including David Bowie, the Who and Bruce Springsteen. Between 1974 and 1980, their World Series of Rock festivals at Cleveland Municipal Stadium attracted massive sellout crowds, which came in droves to witness some incredible one-day lineups. For instance, on July 28, 1979, Aerosmith headlined a World Series of Rock date that also featured Ted Nugent, Journey, Thin Lizzy, AC/DC and the first North American performance of Scorpions. The Rolling Stones headlined two other World Series gigs in 1975 and 1978, while Pink Floyd also attracted a capacity crowd of more than 80,000 in 1977.

More than 50 years later, Belkin has collected a lifetime of memories in a new book, Mike Belkin: Socks, Sports, Rock & Art, a collaboration with writer Carlo Wolff, who spent two years interviewing Belkin. “The interviews were in-depth, to put it mildly. You know, they went on,” Wolff tells Ultimate Classic Rock. “They lasted for probably two to four hours. They lasted until we got tired, essentially.” One benefit was that Belkin had saved everything related to his life and career — boxes and boxes of materials. It’s not hard to imagine that it would be easy to get lost in those boxes, doing research, but Wolff says that never was an issue, although there were definite challenges.

“He would bring something up and then we’d try to find a clip that would corroborate it,” Wolff notes. “But he has a weird kind of tenacious mind. He saves everything. His wife has done a lot of archiving for him, like pasting clips into scrapbooks. Often, however, the clips would not have the date on them. Which was infuriating, because there’s no way to [verify that]. Because this is way pre-internet. The clips from [the early parts of his career] go back 60 year. He just cut them out without a date. The hardest thing about this book was corroborating the memories. Even when you had newspaper clips, they could be contradictory at times. Different newspapers would publish different figures. That’s really hard to reconcile.”

Still, Wolff enjoyed working with Belkin on the project. “I came to know him as a man of many dimensions and a man of style and flair,” he says. “I mean, I wish I’d known him 40 years ago. You can tell that he had a really good time for a pretty long time and he still does. And that’s a tribute to the guy.”

The funny thing about it all is that if his professional baseball aspirations had worked out (he played minor league ball early on), things could have gone in a different direction for Belkin. That’s one of many layers peeled away in the book. We spoke with Belkin about some of his favorite memories from the concert promotions side of his career, as well as highlights as an artist manager with the James Gang and others, including longstanding relationships with Michael Stanley and Donnie Iris.

The Who and the James Gang
The Who is my favorite band, [and I booked them] at Public Auditorium [a show that happened in Cleveland on June 26, 1970]. I wanted to put three bands on. I always liked to do what’s different and what’s not being done or hasn’t been done before. The three bands were the James Gang, the Who and James Taylor. That’s not the best musical mix. The Who closed, naturally. Before the Who, it was James Taylor, and the James Gang opened the show. They played and they were great. Then James Taylor came on and he carried a stool in with him and sat down, all by himself in front of the mic and played. That was a bad booking, for two reasons: one, to come in after the James Gang and have someone solo sit down and play is a stupid billing. I don’t know why I did it, I guess because I liked all three artists.

The people loved James. They stood up and they applauded, and I’m thinking, “Oh my God, that is fantastic. How the hell did this happen?” Then the Who came on and they kicked ass. They were always incredible. After the show, we went out to Captain Frank’s [for dinner]. We all went, including the Who, except for Keith Moon. They all wore white onstage, which is part of the story. We ordered and everybody was there from our group, Belkin Productions and the guys in the Who. So we ordered food and we went, “Where the hell is Keith?” Well, in comes walking Keith Moon with [James Gang bassist] Dale Peters. I’m thinking to myself, “How the hell is Dale coming in with Moon?”

Moon no longer had a white outfit on — it was black and dripping. He was soaked. When Dale came in, I said, “Dale, what’s going on?” He said, “I was walking and coming down to the restaurant and I hear someone yelling, ‘Help, help!’ I look over and Moon was in the lake and was trying to get out.” Moon is floundering around in Lake Erie and Dale is saying, “What the hell is going on here?” Fortunately, where Dale was standing at, there was a life preserver. He threw the life preserver in to where Keith was at. He grabbed on, and Dale pulled him in and he was able to get Moon out of the lake. Years ago, the lake was filthy. I asked Dale, “What the hell was he jumping in for?” He said, “I don’t know what the hell he was jumping in for. But I guess I may have saved his life.” Which he did, because there was no getting out. He couldn’t have gotten out, because it was at least six feet higher than the walkway going down there.

Jim Morrison Is Missing
The other guys in [the Doors] were not as colorful, thank God. [Laughs] I had to be with Jim Morrison on [show] dates, because I never really knew [what might happen]. One tour, at the Playboy Mansion in Chicago, there was a weekend where we were in Chicago, Minneapolis and then we had a third date, so I knew I had to stay with him. I didn’t want to lose him. So we played the date in Chicago, which was sold out at the Chicago Theater. We were invited to the Playboy Mansion and had dinner there. His manager was along with us and I knew I had to keep track of him. We were finished with dinner and someone said, “Where’s Jim?” I looked around and he wasn’t at the table! So I figured, “Oh, f—! I hope I didn’t lose him for two days here.” You’re not allowed to go upstairs where the girls are at, so I said to one of the girls, “Look, can you do me a favor? Can you just go up and check to see if Morrison might be upstairs?”

She did and she came back and said, “He’s not upstairs.” I said, “You’re sure?” She said, “Oh yeah.” Well, downstairs, they have a swimming pool and they also have separate rooms with bunk beds and changing [rooms] and whatever. I said, “Look, I need to go downstairs and look around. Because I have to find him.” So I got led down there. The lights were all off in the separate rooms, which were right next to the pool. I looked in the pool, they turned the light on and he wasn’t floating in the pool, so I was happy about that. So as we were walking through, I said, “Look, do me a favor, can you please just turn the lights on in each room so I can make sure that he’s not there?” We started walking down the hall and the person kept flipping on the lights and flipping them off and there’s no one there. Then we got to another room and he flipped on the lights and Morrison is there with one of the Bunnies, having a good time. So I just turned the light off and made sure that he got back to the hotel.

Jimi Hendrix
I remember sitting in probably the second or third row. He played two shows in one day [at Cleveland Music Hall in 1968]. I think my mouth was open probably for all two shows. He was really good. They were both sold out and his band was very, very good. The stagehands for that show, I had a little problem. They knew both shows were sold out. And that goes way, way back, so I was kind of a new promoter. They tried to take advantage of me, which I wasn’t really up to that. They would say, “Well, we’ve got to add on two more stagehands.” Stagehands were not cheap, so it was meaningful dollars. I said, “What are you talking about? You asked to have 12 and I got you 12. Now what do you want?” “Well, you have to add two more on.” They had an extra couple of cases they brought in.

I said, “A couple of extra cases, you add two stagehands you want — What do they do, move one case each?” So they said, “Okay, we’re closing the show down. We’re not going to be working at all.” I said, “Okay, fine. Don’t work at all. We’ll refund the money and I’m going to come after you to get that money.” I went out to have dinner and came back and the stagehands were back on the stage working. You know, sometimes they can be miserable, sometimes you get a crew that’s nice and will really work with you and cooperate. That was one of the few times [things didn’t go well]. Did it happen since? Not to that degree. But dealing with the stage crew and Teamsters, you have to be able to know how to work with all kinds of individuals with all different kinds of jobs.

Working With Legendary Concert Promoter Bill GrahamBill Graham and I were actually bidding against [each other] when the Stones decided to do a tour. They called in both Bill and I. We sat down with the Stones manager and had a meeting. It was at a hotel out in Los Angeles. We were asked questions by their manager, talking about dollars and dates. Bill was making an offer for the Stones and I was [as well]. It ended up that Bill got the tour. Was I angry? No. Was I disappointed? Yeah. But it all turned out good. Bill had a great sense of humor. He would go into some of the other promoters’ markets and it pissed them off, which I could understand. We had a meeting of the promoters organization out in Long Island. Quite a few of us came in for the meeting and we had lunch. In the middle of the lunch, the door slams open and Bill walks in with two other guys with tommy guns — they were fake. They come in, because Bill knew that we were having the meeting and it was going to be discussing his stepping on other promoters’ toes, so he did it as a comedic situation and no one ever had any hard feelings with him when he did that, so it was kind of a fun thing. I miss him to this day.

Sonny & Cher
It was an experience I had in Las Vegas when I promoted them at one of the hotels. They were playing that evening and they always had a comedian opening the show, and most of the comedians that play with the artists are easy to get along with. He was on all of the dates. We played Caesar’s and we had a meeting because I was called by Sonny. He said, “Look, we’ve got to have a meeting this afternoon before the show, because Cher and I are having a little problem.” We had a meeting and they talked and whatever was their problem, I walked out of the room at a certain point. I didn’t want to get in the middle of anything, that’s for sure. The comedian would go on at 6 and Sonny and Cher would follow after that. I went down and the comedian was dressed in his tux and he was ready to go. There was no audience! I asked him, “What’s going on?” He said, “They canceled the date.” I said, “You’re kidding!” He said, “Nope, they canceled it.” I said, “They didn’t call you?” “Nope, didn’t call me.” But then they made up and they played the next day, which was supposed to be an off day.

Donnie Iris
Donnie is a sweetheart. One of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. You see him up on stage and he goes all out. I had a call from Mark Avsec, who is one of the writers, producers and the keyboard player [in Donnie’s band]. This happened, probably about three or four months ago. They were playing a special private concert for people that he knew. It was out in Pennsylvania [and] it was warm. He was halfway through the set and he passed out. He fell back and [he’s] lucky that he didn’t hit his head. He had a problem catching his breath, so fortunately there was a nurse in the audience. She came up and revived him. They called me and I said, “Well, let me speak to Donnie.” Mark said, “He wants to go back on for the second half!”

I said, “What are you talking about? He wants to go back on? He should be just taking it easy and relaxing right now.” He said, “He wants to go back on.” I said, “Let me talk to Donnie.” So Donnie gets on the phone. “How are you feeling?” “I’m feeling fine.” I said, “Well, you’re going to stay there, are you not? You’re not driving home, are you?” “No, I feel great. I’m driving home.” I said, “Donnie, don’t drive home. Just stay there. Catch your breath, get better.” He said, “Nah, I feel fine, I’m going to drive home.” I said, “Donnie, look — here’s what’s going to happen. If you stay there and don’t drive home, I’m going to make a phone call now to a hooker and have her come down to where you’re at.” He started laughing and ultimately, he drove home.

I’ve been very fortunate with Michael Stanley and Donnie Iris, these are class guys and easy to work with. I mean, there’s no demands. They know, certainly at this point, that I’m going to be taking care of them in the right way and I do. And I enjoy doing it.

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